So, the big day has come and gone. It seems like yesterday that, on 11/23/2009, I made the following post on Facebook:
“GAME ON! Reserved my spot for the 2010 Tempe Ironman this morning. AAAAAAND BEGIN!”
When I signed up for this, I knew it would be hard work, but I didn’t realize the extent of it. Not only does the training put you through a physical metamorphosis, but it also tweaks with your mental state as well. Mentally, you have to embrace the fact that you will be tired. You will be sore. You won’t want to get up at 3:30AM for a 126 mile ride at 4:00AM. You won’t want to run 8 miles after an 80 mile ride. You probably won’t see your family for weekend breakfasts. You will be in bed a good 2-3 hours before your spouse. If you go on “vacation”, you will bring your bike, running gear, or swim gear. Days off are almost as mentally challenging as your hardest workout. The thing is, when you see your family cheering you on to the finish line and then hear those magical words, “Dan Thomas, YOU are an Ironman!” it all becomes so worth it.
On Friday, November 19th, Kristi and I took the kids down to Tempe for the Ironman welcome dinner. It was an exciting event that was held outside just off of the lake. When James and I checked in on Thursday, they gave us blue wristbands designating us as athletes. It was so interesting to see all the different types of people, from all over the world, with the same band on their wrist.
Saturday, November 20th was check in day. We were to check in our transition bags and bike. They also opened up the lake for practice swimming. Kristi and the kids really wanted to head down with me, so we arrived around 9AM. Just before getting in, I met up with Erik and snapped a couple of pics before heading over to the stairs. The announcer let everybody know that the water was a chilly 61 degrees and that wetsuit booties were legal (if you chose to wear them) on race day. Without hesitation, I jumped right in and felt the cool water envelope my body. My wetsuit did an awesome job of keeping me warm. I think I put in a quick 20 minute swim before climbing back out. I racked my bike and checked in my T1 and T2 bags before heading home. On the way out, Kristi spotted a tent where they let friends and family make signs for the athletes. Kaden and Kaitlin each got to make one. Kaden even tried to do the “Mdot” logo himself! The weather forecast changed from partly cloudy to 50% chance of rain with 24mph winds. With this in mind, I called James after we got home and questioned him about our transition bags. They were going to be outside all night and had the possibility of being rained on. Since we didn’t want to run the risk of putting on soaking wet clothes, we went all the way back to Tempe armed with huge Ziploc bags. We put anything we wanted to keep dry inside and then put those bags back inside of the transition bags. Finally, we could head for home for good.
Sunday, November 21st
RACE DAY!
The alarm went off just after 3:00AM. I picked up James at 4 and then headed down to Tempe. Once there, people were scurrying around making last minute adjustments to their bags and bikes. I knew it was cold (about 50 degrees), but we were running around so much, we were actually getting hot. After putting the last touches on our bikes (water bottles, gels, etc), we took our “special needs bags” over to their designated area before heading back to transition. Now, it was a waiting game. Tick, tock, tick tock….. Now the butterflies set in. Not so much nervousness, but more of excitement. Butterflies before a race can only mean one thing….Port-a-potty time! Since so many people were in the same situation, there were enormous lines forming. In an attempt to circumvent these lines, James and I left the transition area in search of a more isolated facility. Ultimately, I was able to find a shorter line, but still had to wait. Tick, tock, tick, tock…. I’m about 3rd in line, and I hear the announcer tell the pros to get in the water. It was 6:20. We were to start at 7 and I still didn’t have my wetsuit on. Tick, tock, tick, tock…. Now my anxiousness turns into nervousness. Tick, tock, tick, tock…. I can see thousands of athletes around me getting their wetsuits on. Tick, tock, tick, tock…. Just as I’m about to take my turn, a father comes to the front of the line with his son in his arms. “He really has to go, would you mind if we cut in?” What are we supposed to say? The kid had to go. Tick, tock, tick, tock…. Finally! I’m out of the facilities and have to scurry back to transition. I weed my way through a sea of neoprene to find James all suited up. As I’m getting my wetsuit out of the bag, I hear the announce say, “All athletes MUST be out of the transition area in 10 minutes!” I don’t know how long it actually took, but I had my suit on and was ready to go before I knew it. As I was standing there, I turned to James and Erik and said, “This just got real”
I jump in the water with Erik and head to the front of the pack. Once there, it was a total meat grinder. Elbow, fists, feet, and knees were all floundering about while trying to tread water. From time to time, a kayak would get close enough to where 5 or 6 of us could hold on. After a few minutes of this, I took the time to look back over my shoulder and was able to see hundreds and hundreds of spectators lining the bridge just above us. I told Erik to check it out as it was an awesome sight. Right around this time, the announcer started playing “Ironman” by Black Sabbath. The mood went from energetic to downright electrifying! My heart was racing, my mind was focused, and I was ready. BOOM, when the gun went off over 2300 athletes went from parallel to horizontal at the same time. Since I was at the front with the faster swimmers, I didn’t really get anybody trying to swim over me, punching me, or kicking me. It was pretty smooth the entire way. The strategy was to go as fast as I could while knowing what was ahead (bike and run). In other words, stay comfortable. Frank didn’t want me blowing myself up for an extra 5 minutes off my swim time. That would only cost me later in the race. As I was nearing the steps to exit, I could hear the muffled voice of the race announcer over the loud speaker. I sighted the last set of stairs to my right and zeroed in on ‘em. When I got to the bottom, I reached out and grabbed the hand of the volunteer. He effortless pulled me up and onto my feet. As I was about to exit the stairs area, I heard my name from behind. I looked back and saw Todd Hoeder. He was volunteering so he could get priority in signing up for next year’s event (his 3rd!). After a brief acknowledgement on both parts, I was off to the strippers….wetsuit strippers that is. As I was trying to get my arms out, all I hear is, “SIT DOWN!” So, as I’m sitting, a guy grabs the arms of my wetsuit and pulls the top half off while another grabs the bottoms. I was out of that bad boy in seconds! As I was getting ready to take off again, I heard my name bellow out from the crowd. When I looked up, it was Kristi’s parents! I don’t remember what I did to acknowledge them, but I think I gave ‘em a fist in the air.
I was told that it was foolish to waste energy running from the water to the transition tent because it was a waste of energy that would only net you a few minutes. Before this moment, I was on board with that, but now, there was no way I could walk. Trying to keep my balance I ambled my way down the long path to T1 where I heard another volunteer shout, “795! 7-9-5!” They ran to locate my swim to bike bag in a sea of identical plastic and had it to me in seconds. Once inside the tent, I took off my swim suit (I made the decision earlier to go completely dry on the bike) and started to rummage through my bag. At this point, another volunteer comes over and starts setting out my socks, shoes, helmet, compression socks, etc and starts helping me get organized. I knew I was going to take longer in T1, but I didn’t care. When I was all set, I ran out into the morning sunshine and was immediately confronted by the sunscreen volunteers. They quickly rub you down with sunscreen before sending you out to find your bike. I quickly found my bike and started the trek to “bike out” At this point, I didn’t really want to run in my bike shoes while pushing my bike with hundreds of other athletes, so I decided to walk along the outside lane and look for K’s parents. I didn’t see them, but when I exited T1, I ran into Kristi! She was taking video and cheering as loud as anybody else (if not louder!) That was a real adrenaline push that help kick start my 112 mile bike ride.
Once on the bike, I felt solid. I knew that this could be a special ride. I was passing a number of people on the way to the first turnaround point and was rarely passed at all. I was flying! Problem was that this lap wasn’t supposed to be fast at all. It was supposed to be a time to let your body adjust from being in the water for an hour. It was designed to bring your heart rate down. Fast was supposed to be lap 2. Keeping that in mind, I backed off the throttle a bit and fell into a comfortable pace. About 20 minutes in, I took my first of 10 gels. When I started heading back after the first turnaround, I realized that something was wrong. What was it? This is downhill, so 30+ mph was an achievable average. Why, then, was I going slower? Ah yes, the wind! A storm was lingering around that brought 24 mph sustained headwinds with 35+mph gusts. This was going to be interesting! The second turnaround was back where we started the bike. It was also where a big majority of the spectators gathered to watch the race. I can’t remember which laps they were, but I do remember hearing my name. That was enough for me, so I got out of the saddle and hammered. Once out on the B-line for my second go, I was confronted with the speed issue. This was to be the “go fast” lap, but I knew that I would need my legs for not only the headwind on the way back, but for the looming marathon. It was at this point that I made the tactical decision to stay “comfortable” On the way back, the winds picked up and it started raining. It was raining hard enough that it was actually stinging my face! Frank designed my final lap to be a “spin out your legs” lap. In other words, stay strong, but don’t task my legs too much. Get in a smaller gear (easier) and bring the cadence up to flush the legs of any lactic acid to prepare for the run. About 10 miles out, James pulls up next to me. We make some small talk before he takes off. For a brief second, I put some power to the pedals to keep up, but then remembered the plan….spin the legs to be ready for the marathon. I slowly watched him pull further and further away. He was aiming for a new personal record of under 11 hours, so I was hoping he would do it. Once I got into T2, I took off my shoes and walked over to the “bike to run” bags. I heard my name again and saw Mike Robertson filming me! I gave him a bicep pose to let him know I was feeling strong and headed towards the tent. Once there, I sat down right next to James. We both had our running gear on at the same time, but I had to make a stop in the bathroom and he headed straight out to the run course. After another delightful encounter with the sunscreen volunteers, I stepped out onto the run course to start my first ever marathon.
I can’t remember everybody I ran into on the course, but I will tell you that I acknowledged everybody that took the time to cheer me on. Friends, family, and even strangers got a fist pump, a “raise the roof”, a point, or even a small dance. The first thing I noticed was a sign that read “16 miles” What?!? I haven’t even seen mile 1 yet! Is this a cruel joke? No, it was the 1st marker for the SECOND lap. Each lap was just over 8 miles long. At this point, reality set it. It was going to be a long time before I saw the finish line. I looked across the north side of the loop and started to think about how far away that was. I looked at my Garmin and saw that I was running a 9 min pace. That quickly snapped me out of my daze and back into race mode. I couldn’t focus on the totality of the run, rather I had to focus on baby steps. Only a few more minutes until I start heading north. Only a mile until the next aid station. I also brought my speed down to the magical “Frank Sole” pace of 10:40. Shortly thereafter, I got the dreaded side stitch that haunted me on the soccer fields so many months back. The only thing I could do is remember that the pain will pass and shove my fist up under my rib cage to help alleviate the pain. About 10 minutes later, the pain was indeed gone. I was able to settle in grind it out. One of the most inspirational, fulfilling, and emotional moments of the day was when I was finishing up lap 1 and saw Kristi holding the scribbled sign that Kaitlin made. She was with Kaden and my mom. I ran over to them, hugged them, and bent down to kiss Kaden. His hand reached out to touch my cheek and I looked into his eyes. He was so proud of me. As I started back out on the run, I heard Mike shout my name too. After acknowledging him, I turned back to the task at hand. A few steps later and I was holding back tears. For the first time all day, I said to myself, out loud, “You are going to be an Ironman today” I was able to grind out 22.5 miles before having to walk. I knew that I didn’t want to walk where the spectators were, so I had to take a bit of a break on more of the desolate parts of the course. I ended up walking only a few times, but quickly got back after it. With 1.2 miles left, I was running through the last aid station when I saw Cindy. She ran next to me for the next hundred yards or so before peeling off to go back to her station. As I was getting closer, I could hear the names of various athletes being read along with “YOU are an Ironman” Finally, there I was, at the fork in the road. The previous two times, I had to go right to continue the marathon. This time, however, I followed the “To Finish” arrow. I slowly made my way closer to the lights. The crowd was getting louder. My heart was pounding faster. As I made the final turn, I saw Kristi waiting for me. I raised my hands in triumph and ran towards the goal that I had been training so hard for. I slowed up a bit and scanned the grandstands on either side. I was taking it all in. Then, I heard it, “Dan Thomas, a first timer, YOU are an Ironman!”
During this journey so many people wanted to know what I thought my time was going to be. My answer was always the same, “I don’t care, I just want to finish” I was being honest when I said that. I mean, I didn’t want to set a goal, miss it, and not enjoy what I just accomplished. Secretly though, over time, I started to formulate guesses and windows of when I thought I could finish. I kept them secret until I told Kristi after the race and until now.
Early on, here was my window:
Swim – 1:00 – 1:10
Bike – 5:20 – 5:30
Run – 5:30 – 6:00
OVERALL = 11:50 – 12:40 not including transition
On Friday, before I left work, I scribbled down my best guess as to what I would probably do:
Swim – 1:10
T1 – 10 min
Bike – 5:30
T2 – 5 min
Run – 5:15
OVERALL = 12:10
Here are my final results:
Swim – 1:00:23
T1 – 10 min 32 sec
Bike – 5:37:19
T2 – 5 min 08 sec
Run – 4:51:32
OVERALL = 11:44:54
Coming into T2
Out on the run
An emotional moment on the marathon
The finish
Me and James (3x IMAZ finisher with a new PR of 10:57)
